"In fact, she often introduced herself this way: I'm Liz White, I'm running for office, and I know I'm not going to win. This would be delivered with an apologetic smile, maybe a gentle laugh, as if she were letting you in on a joke. As if to underscore the foolishness of what she was saying. The person she was addressing, standing on their porch or leaning against a scuffed door frame,"
"But, yes, it was true. White was under no illusions when it came to success; the riding in which she was campaigning, composed of mostly well-to-do neighbourhoods on the eastern edge of downtown Toronto, would go to the incumbent Liberal-maybe the New Democratic candidate if things broke just the right way. But the Animal Protection Party of Canada, of which White was the long-time leader? It was not going to happen. It had never happened. It would never happen."
Liz White canvasses an affluent Toronto riding while openly acknowledging she will not win. She leads the Animal Protection Party of Canada and accepts the party's long-standing lack of electoral success. Her campaign work is repetitive and physical, described as walking door to door, knocking, and returning to the sidewalk. The neighborhood contains parks, dogs, commuters, and visible campaign signs. She presents herself modestly in simple clothing and glasses and uses self-effacing introductions to soften the improbability of success while continuing to engage residents.
Read at The Walrus
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